Film Review : Harry Brown

Much publicised as possibly Michael Caine's last movie, this is a gritty tale of modern life in an urban wasteland. An additional appeal is that the story is set in the same part of London where Caine himself was brought up.

As such, he undoubtedly brings an emotional strength to the role of Harry who is a recently bereaved widower who also loses a friend who was murdered by the local gangs. These events result in his growing anger at what is happening all around to boil over, and the quiet retired man turns vigilante using the skills he learnt from his long service with the services.

Caine is compelling as you would expect, but you do feel that this is a role he has played many times before. However, the very clear emotional connection he has with the material does add punch to the tale.

Emily Mortimer plays a police sergeant out of her depth amongst the amoral behaviour all around. You suspect that, in real life such a well meaning person would simply not survive in such an environment but in the film, she is the one who sets the moral compass around which the tale revolves.

It's very easy to describe this as a British Gran Torino, and whilst there are many similarities in the tale it is, as you might expect, a more realistic and bleak picture of a crumbling urban environment.

It's also worth saying that whilst this isn't by any manner of means a happy-clappy film, it's not as unremittingly bleak as some of this style of movie can be. It was even enjoyed by my wife, and I lost my bet that she wouldn't enjoy it.